On behalf of the Pagosa Springs Arts Council Board of Directors, thank you for your support.

Our non-profit organization has provided creative and diverse experiences in the arts since 1988. However, due to the economic downturn our membership, donations, and grant awards are down more than 40 percent. We seriously need your help now, or we face cutting services within the next year.

Our 2008 accomplishments include nine visual arts exhibits, the Pagosa Mountain Hospital Art Competition resulting in nine new artworks for the Hospital’s permanent art collection, participation in the Mural on Main initiative, the Pagosa Country calendar, oversight for three other non-profit arts divisions, our Artist Studio Tour, Larry Porter piano concert, an art auction, and more than 500 hours of art workshops offered, including Youth Art Camp and their Bird House Project benefiting Habitat for Humanity.

Please renew your membership. Any further donation will be greatly appreciated.

Our office in Town Park Gallery will commence summer hours, on April 2 — Tuesday-Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Stop by and pick up the 2009 workshop and exhibit schedule (available at many locations around town).

And mark your calendar for our May 20 annual meeting/dinner at Nello’s.

Sincerely,

Your PSAC president,

Linda Echterhoff

“Convergence-Three Women Artists”

The first exhibit of the 2009 season will feature three very talented and diverse artists. The title of this exhibit is “Convergence-Three Women Artists.” Those artists are Rachel Leigh Alber, Sindey Greher and Kay Harper Roberts. The opening reception at Town Park Gallery will take place Thursday, April 2 from 5-7 p.m.

Discovering the Essence

Why do you choose to paint what you do? Do your paintings express your intent? When an artist decides to paint any particular scene or subject matter, there is something of interest in the scene that we want to express. But too often we get caught up in superfluous details and lose the power of our original concept and so the finished work is a watered-down version of what we originally had in mind. The Discovering the Essence workshop will teach artists how to “cut to the core” of what we want our work to be about and how to maintain that concept through to the finished piece, thus increasing the impact of our visual statement.

Award-winning artist Lorraine W. Trenholm will guide the class through analyzing each person’s photos for paintings, creating a painting, and then talking about the results.

This is a special Painting Workshop Intensive is taught by Lorraine Trenholm and limited to six participants. It will take place April 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at in the Arts and Crafts Room of the community center. The cost is $75. Students will need to bring photos to work from (at least six) and their media of choice to work in. We would suggest photos no larger than 16x20, as we do not work on each study very long. Register and prepay with the Pagosa Springs Art Council 264-5020.

Juried Exhibit call to artists

This is a call to artists for the Pagosa Springs Arts Council’s sixth annual Juried Exhibition: A Regional Art Competition. The submission deadline is April 24, for entry received-by date. The competition is open to all artists 18 years or older residing in the Four Corners states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. The exhibit is open to artists working in any media excluding functional crafts, photography, video, film, other electronic works and performance or installation art. Cash awards will be $1,500 total for first, second and third place and People’s Choice Award.

The juror will be Laura Murphy, an adjunct instructor at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado where she teaches courses in art appreciation and Women Artists in Art. In 2000, Murphy earned her B.A. in art, Summa cum Laude from Adams State College. In 2006 she achieved her M.F.A. in open media: fibers and ceramics, Magna cum Laude from Adams State College. Murphy has been showing her artwork since 1984. Primarily a painter for the past 20 years, Murphy now considers herself a mixed media artist.

The entry fee for PSAC members is $20 for one or two entries and for nonmembers $25 for one or two entries. You may download the prospectus at www.pagosa-arts.com/events.html. For more information, contact Roxanne Schick at psac@centurytel.net or (970) 264-5020.

Photography Club

The Pagosa Springs Photography Club will meet Wednesday evening, April 8, in the Arts and Crafts Room of the community center. Join us for refreshments beginning at 6 p.m. (note the new time), followed by photo critiquing and business meeting at 6:30.

The Pagosa Photo Club is pleased to welcome Rob Bridges as this month’s guest speaker. Rob is a former editorial and stock photographer and a member of the American Society of Media Photographers who previously taught photography at colleges in New Mexico and Colorado before moving to Hesperus. His program entitled “Shooting from the Heart” will discuss moving from a literal, documentary-style approach of image making to an interpretive, impressionistic style of photography. We promise you’ll be entertained and inspired.

A monthly photo theme exhibit is held during each club meeting. The two categories are the theme category and the open category, where any subject is allowed. This month’s theme is “Clouds.” Members may enter as many as three prints, but no more than two in either category. President Tom Peterson will lead the critique of photos. This will be done as a group rather than have specific judges.

The Photography Club meets the second Wednesday of each month during the club year from September through May at 6 p.m. Photography enthusiasts are welcome to attend at no charge for the first meeting. Any and all are invited to join for annual dues of $20 for single individuals and $30 for family membership. For more information, contact Barbara Conkey at blconkey@rockymtncable.com or 731-6877.

Plein Air Painters

Plein Air Painters meet the third Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. at a predetermined location. Painters who work in any media are welcome. It’s a wonderful opportunity to share tips, ideas and resources. If the weather is nice, we paint outdoors. If the weather is bad we will paint in the Arts and Crafts Room. Please keep in mind that turpentine based painting materials can not be used in the community center. On April 16 we will meet at Harman Park. You will turn left at the light at the top of Put Hill and drive straight into park/museum area. Please contact PSAC for more information at 264-5020.

PSAC workshops

The Pagosa Springs Arts Council sponsors and manages workshops in the Arts and Crafts Room at the community center. From the outset, the Arts Council has been a partner and supporter of the center.

PSAC has been sponsoring cultural arts programming, including our workshops, since its inception and these have been taught by local artists as well as nationally-renowned artists who are masters in their respective art fields. Workshops provide those who want to teach a venue to do so and, at the same time, give our residents a place to learn something new whether it is watercolor, acrylic, oil, drawing, photography or the like. The space also provides a home for the Photo Club, Plein Air Painting Club and a meeting location for additional clubs.

Workshop calendar

All of the workshop classes are held in the Arts & Crafts Room of the Community Center. Please call PSAC at 264-5020 to register for any of the classes and pre-registration is required.

April 4 — Beading with Elizabeth (Lizz) Claire Baldwin, $35.

April 20 — Intense composition essence with Lorraine Trenholm, $75.

May 6-8 — Beginners I watercolor with Denny and Ginnie, $150/$175.

May 18-21 — Beginners II watercolor with Denny and Ginnie, $195/$220.

June 15-18 — Youth photo camp with Wen Saunders.

June 21-24 — Basket Weaving with Pat Jeffer).

July 16-17 — Pastels with Lorraine Trenholm.

Aug 3-21 — Youth Art Camp with Sabine Baeckmann-Elge.

Aug 25-26 — Field journaling for naturalists with Cynthia Padilla.

Aug 27-28 — Painting and drawing from the masters with Cynthia Padilla.

Sep 15-17 — Oil Painting with Tom Lockhart.

Sep 28 — Poetry writing with Bonnie Manion and Jeanine Malaney.

Membership

Started in 1988, the Pagosa Springs Arts Council, a non-profit organization, was conceived and developed to, in part, promote the awareness of the vast array of local artistic talent, provide educational and cultural activities in the community, sponsor exhibits and workshops by local and regional artists and encourage and support continued appreciation and preservation of the aesthetic beauty of Pagosa Springs. If becoming involved with such a dynamic organization excites you, we hope you will consider becoming a member or volunteer. For membership questions, call the PSAC office at 264-5020.